“Uncertainty” seemed to be the theme of 2020 for all, and it was no different for the wine industry.  Unfortunately, this uncertainty continues this year for wine grape growers as they gear up for harvest amidst another threatening wildfire season.  With severe drought plaguing the American West, it’s not a question of if, but when more wildfires will occur and …

Wine grape harvest has begun in the Central Valley of California. After considerable challenges in both production and the wine grape market last year, how are things looking now and what can we expect for the 2021 vintage? Watch this brief interview with Jeff Bitter, President of Allied Grape Growers, as he shares his insights and read more about it …

Wildfires and smoke exposure aside, what is the 2020 wine grape crop looking like.  Jeff Bitter from Allied Grape Growers reports that the crop could be much smaller than expected with supply and demand returning to a more balanced state.  Watch his brief interview now and be sure to attend Jeff Bitter’s State of the wine grape industry address at …

Many of our wine grape industry friends and families have been impacted by the recent wildfires, and our hearts and prayers go out to them. Although vineyards tend to act as fire breaks helping to mitigate the spread of these wildfires, growers and winemakers are concerned about what the smoke exposure impact will have on the 2020 vintage.  Please watch …

The demand for Central Valley Thompson Seedless grapes in the crush this year is diving to another record low.  Why is this the case and what does it mean for the California wine and raisin industries?  Watch this brief interview with Jeff Bitter, President of Allied Grape Growers, and read more about it in the September issue of American Vineyard …

How is the 2019 California wine grape crop and harvest progressing?  And what are the current trends in the wine market?  Watch this brief interview with Jeff Bitter from Allied Grape Growers and read more about it in American Vineyard Magazine. Please thank our sponsor Duarte Nursery for their industry support and attend their upcoming Grapevine Clonal Field Days.  Learn …

After many years of drought, can we possibly have too much water?  Watch this brief interview with Jeff Bitter from Allied Grape Growers as he provides an update on the 2019 wine grape crop and how the recent rainstorms might impact it.  Watch this video and read more about it in American Vineyard Magazine.

As many in the industry know, USDA’s 2018 Grape Crush Report was delayed due to the recent government shutdown.  This record breaking crop report was covered in the May issue of American Vineyard Magazine; but we also recently got some special insights on the report along with current wine market trends from Allied Grape Growers President Jeff Bitter.  So check …

Central Valley Thompson grapes ended up being quite valuable this last harvest, both on the raisin and concentrate side of the business. But as Jeff Bitter from Allied Grape Growers shared in this interview with California Ag Network, both markets can be quite volatile and there are a lot less acres of Thompson Seedless grapes in the ground than there …

Last year, wine industry analysts were questioning the strength of the high end wine market, as prices got higher and higher; and now it appears that the tide is turning again for California wine grape growers, as much of the movement of inventory is coming back to the San Joaquin Valley. Watch this brief video with Jeff Bitter from Allied …